1944 Amateur World Series

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(Redirected from 1944 Baseball World Cup)

The 1944 Amateur World Series was the 7th Amateur World Series and the second held outside of Cuba. It was held in Caracas, Venezuela, from October 12 through November 18, 1944, making it the longest Amateur World Series. The talent level was higher than it had been in 1943 but was marred by controversial umpiring decisions that led to a highly questionable winner.

In one contest, the Dominican Republic led Venezuela going into the 9th. In the top of the 9th, Venezuela rallied to take the lead. In the bottom of the frame, an umpire called the game due to darkness, canceling the 9th inning out and making the visitors the winner. As a punishment, this umpire was prevented from judging future games by Venezuelan officials.

Umpiring played a role in a Cuba-Venezuela game in the final phase of the event. After a Venezuelan player dropped the ball during a close play at first, a photographer came over and threw the ball to one of the Venezuelan players, leading to an out. Cuban manager Pipo de la Noval came out to protest and was told that photographers were allowed to intervene in play. As a result, Cuba withdrew from the competition and their remaining games were considered forfeits.

Due to more umpiring calls in favor of the home team, Mexico also withdrew from the tournament. Local officials called Venezuela the winner - they are still listed as such in all sources despite the circumstances underlying their victory.

Participating Teams[edit]

Source: A History of Cuban Baseball by Peter Bjarkman

Also see 1944 Amateur World Series (Rosters)